1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to vehicle suspensions and, more specifically, to methods and apparatus for suspension adjustment.
2. Description of the Related Art
Vehicle suspension systems typically include some form of a shock absorber. Many integrated damper/spring shock absorbers include a damper body surrounded by a mechanical spring. The damper body often consists of a vented piston and a shaft telescopically mounted in a fluid cylinder. Some shock absorbers utilize gas as a spring medium in place of, or in addition to, a mechanical spring. The spring rate of such shock absorbers may be adjustable such as by adjusting the preload of a mechanical spring or adjusting the pressure of the gas in the shock absorber. In that way the shock absorber can be adjusted to accommodate heavier or lighter carried weight, or greater or lesser anticipated impact loads. In vehicle applications, including motorcycles, bicycles, and, particularly, off-road applications, shock absorbers are pre-adjusted to account for varying terrain and anticipated speeds and jumps. Shocks are also adjusted according to certain rider preferences (e.g. soft-firm).
One disadvantage with conventional shock absorbers is that adjusting the spring mechanism to the correct preset may be difficult. The vehicle must be properly loaded for the expected riding conditions such as with a rider or driver sitting on or in the vehicle while the spring mechanism is adjusted to create a proper amount of preload. Often times such adjustment requires both a rider sitting on the vehicle and a separate mechanic performing the proper adjustment at the location of the shock absorber. A further disadvantage is that many current systems rely on imprecise tools and methods to set the initial amount of preload.
As the foregoing illustrates, what is needed in the art are improved apparatus and techniques for easily and accurately adjusting the amount of preload applied to a spring in a shock absorber.